Viewing this from the perspective of US political culture, where the church/state lines are far more blurred than back at home, I found this line quite interesting:

“Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.”

“I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that…Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings”

I find the movement in the progressive wing of the Anglican Communion to strip, well, Christianity out of Christianity rather… odd… to put it mildly. I mean if you want to hold hands and sing Koombayah while praying to “the God of our many understandings” all well and good, but if you’re an Episcopalian shouldn’t you at least make some presence of holding some core beliefs of the Christian faith? Occasionally mentioning Christ when asked to speak? Although I suppose referring to the US Episcopalian Church as Christians can be considered as rather charitable.

I’m reminded of the episode in Yes Minister when Jim Hacker has to choose between an atheist and a socialist for a bishopric. What’s more, it seems that from it’s earliest days the Obama Administration will be one focused on ‘locking in’ votes of special interest groups and placing focus groups and polling above principle and policy.